Hello, new Google Maps app. Good-bye, Google Latitude.

Google announced a redesign of its Maps site and apps at its I/O conference back in May, but so far it’s only been spotted on the Web-based version of the service. But starting today, a new version of Maps for smartphones and tablets begins rolling out on Android, with an iOS update coming soon, according to Google’s Official Blog.

But as we all know, Google giveth and Google taketh away. The arrival of new Maps apps means the death of another Google offering – its Latitude location-sharing service is being retired.

Besides a cleaner design already familiar to users of Google’s iOS Maps app, the Android version gets some new features, including:

• Explore, which lets you see Google Now-like cards related to nearby businesses, without having to search. The app also incorporates reviews from Zagat, as well as highlighting nearby merchant offers. That latter feature gives Google another way to make money off this free app.

• Enhanced navigation shows you where there’s trouble on the road. Tap an incident notification to see the details. Maps will also reroute you to avoid the bottleneck. This is a feature I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. (Now, if it would just warn you about those annoying speed traps … )

• Finally, Maps will have a special design for Android tablets and iPads. Until now, you had to use the smartphone version on tablets, which doesn’t make the best use of the greater screen real estate.

With the new app, Google’s doing away with Latitude in the Android app, a feature that let you see where your friends are. (It’s similar to Find My Friends on iOS.) Instead, you’ll have to turn to Google+ for a similar feature:

One important change you should know about is that Latitude and check-ins are no longer part of the new Google Maps app, and will be retired from older versions on August 9. We understand some of you still want to see your friends and family on a map, which is why we’ve added location sharing and check-ins to Google+ for Android (coming soon to iOS). More details about Latitude and check-in changes can be found in our help center.

Do you use Google Latitude? How do you feel about this change, and the others? Let us know in the comments.